Apparatus for exhibiting carpets and other textile fabrics.



W. FRANKLIN.

I APPARATUS FOR EXHIBITING OARPETS AND OTHER TEXTILE FABRICS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8. 1910.

Patented Dec. 1910.

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I W. FRANKLIN. APPARATUS FOR EXHIBITING GARPETS AND OTHER TEXTILE FABRICS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8, 1910.

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WILLIAM FRANKLIN, OF MANLY, NEAR SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA.

APPARATUS FOR EXHIBITING CARPETS AND OTHER 'IEXTTLE FABRICS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 27, 1910.

Application filed June 8, 1910. Serial No. 565,689.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, WILLIAM FRANKLIN, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and residing at Nailsworth, 29 Vhistler road, Manly, near Sydney, in the State of New South Wales, Commonwealth of Australia, have invented new and useful Apparatus for Exhibiting Carpets and other Textile Fabrics, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a cabinet for facilitating display of carpets and other textile fabrics, such as coverlets or table-cloths.

A display cabinet according to my invention consists of a case of dimensions adequate to accommodate a number-preferably six to twelve-of squares of carpet or other textile articles hung vertically therein one behind the other. The squares of carpet or other articles are suspended separately in a file from bars to which they are removably attached by means of hooks or clips, and the bars are carried by flexible cords which are reeved over fair lead sheaves and carry counterbalancing weights in their fall loops. A trip plate is provided for en gaging stoppers on each cord fall so as to sustain the counterbalancing weight thereon when the particular carpet or article suspended by such cord is drawn out of the cabinet for display; a spring supported rod (or rods) sustains said trip plate automatically until it is released by turning a handle which retires said rods and thereby allows the trip plate to drop, whereupon the 'counterweights fall free and draw the displayed carpet or article back into its proper place in the cabinet.

In the annexed drawing, Figure 1 is a front side perspective view of a displaying apparatus for carpets according to my invention, as it appears when a carpet is drawn out of the file onto the floor and there displayed; Fig. 2 a rear side perspective view of the apparatus with back panel removed; Fig. 3 similar fragment view on enlarged scale corresponding with the upper part of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 transverse vertical section; Fig. 5 view of spring lifted rod'and its retiring handle and the trip plate in normal position with one oft-he cord stoppers about to lift the trip plate; Fig. 6 the same view when the rod is retired by turning the release handle whereby the trip plate is permitted to drop and thus release the stopper; Fig. 7 a fragment view of one of the carrier bars to which the carpets or articles are hung.

The cabinet consists of a shell comprising floor plate 1, head plate 2, end plates 3, false back 4, open front with fascia 19 and 'head mold 5, and back cover (not shown) it may be constructed of wood or metal. The space between the false back 4.- and the open front accommodates the file of carpets or other fabrics held for display, and the space rearward of the false back atis partitioned by parting slips (3 between each of which is hung one of the counterbalancing weights 7. Rollers S extend across the hanging space near the foot thereof to separate the several carpet or fabric squares 9 and to facilitate the drawing out of any one of them without disturbing the others, in the manner illustrated in Fig. 1. The squares 9 are each hung to a bar 10 (see Fig. 7) by hooks 11, and the bars 10 are suspended by cords 12 such as fine sash line which is reeved over head sheaves 13, and fair lead sheaves 14c, and through the running sheaves 15 on the weights 7 the falls being fixed to the hooks or screw eyes 16. The front square 17 is a dummy; it is hung to fixed hooks 18 rearward of the mold fascia board 19, and being always thus displayed (see Fig. 1) is not required to be drawn out onto the floor for that purpose in the same manner as the rearward squares 9.

20 are stop bars which prevent overrunning upward of the suspending bars 10; these stop bars are arranged parallel to the series of rollers 8. The cords 12 have each attached to them stops 21 consisting of metal rings or other attachments forming enlargements which are not however too large to pass under the sheaves 15; these stops are provided to engage slots in the trip plate 22. Foreach square two cords 12 are provided, one attached at either end to the bar 10 on which such square is hung, and for each cord a slot 23 is cut in the trip plate 22. The trip plate is supported on a horizontal pintle rod 2&, and is kept nor mally in horizontal position (see Figs. 3, 4 and 5) by resting on the upper ends of the two rods 25 (one at either side of the cabinet) which rods are articulated at their lower ends to the cranks 27 keyed on the rock bar 28 which is under control of the hand lever 29. One of these rods 25 is supported by a coiled spring 30; the foot of said spring rests on a fixed screw eye 31 which forms also. a guide for the rod, while the head of said spring bears against a collar 32 on the rod. It will suffice if the spring fitting 30 is used on one only of the rods 25, but it may be used on either rod. A hand lever 29 may similarly be fitted on either end of the rock bar 28 or on one end only of same.

The mode of operation is as follows: Starting from the position shown in Fig.

l;the salesman takes hold of the lower edge of the square he desires to display,

and draws same outward under its roller 8 and along the floor, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The cords 12 by which the square so drawn out is hung in the cabinet, are thus caused to raise their counterweights (see- When these cords have been Fig. 2). drawn sufficiently far outward the stops 21 upon them strike against the under side of the trip plate 22, raising it in the manner indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 5. As soon as the stops have passed the thus ele vated edge of the plate, the plate falls back to its normal horizontal position supported on the heads of the rods 25 (see Figs. 2, 3,. 4 and 5) and the cords drop into the slots 23 made in said plate to accommodate them;

the cords are prevented from being drawn too far upward by the check clips or screw 5 eyes 34: which are secured to the false back: 4. As the counterweight cannot now draw the cord 12 downward the square of carpet or other fabric may be left on the floor for inspection (see Fig. 1). When it is required to replace it in the cabinet, the han- 1 the 29 is operated to draw down the rods 25 against the pressure of the spring 30, where:

by the trip plate 22 is left without support and drops (see Fig. 6) allowing the cord stops which have been engaged above slots in the trip plate to slip out of said slots, and thus throwing the counterweights 7 into action to draw back the lines 12 and thus restore the square to its proper place in I the file. Each square in the file may be 2. In a display apparatus of the character specified, the combination with a file of hangers adapted to carry the goods to be displayed pendent therefrom, of a pair of turn the cords to initial position.

3. I11 a display apparatus of the character specified, the combination with a plurality of hanger cords adapted to support the articles to be displayed, each of said cords being provided with a stop intermediate its ends, of a pivoted plate provided with slots through which the cords are adapted to pass, said slots being smaller than the stops on the cords, spring governed carriers adapted to support said plate, and a hand lever for retiring said carriers against the pressure of the spring.

4. In a displaying apparatus of the type set forth, the combination of a casing, a file of rollers '8, a corresponding file of hangers 10, pair cords 12 attached to either end of each hanger, and to fixed points 16 respectively, head sheaves 13 and fair lead sheaves 14 stops 21 on the cords 12, a flap plate 22 with edge slots 23 which pass the cords 12 but intercept the stops 21 thereon, rod supports 25 for the free side of said flap plate 22, springs 30 carrying said rods, and a lever 27 for retiring said rod supports.

5. In a display apparatus of the character specified, the combination with a casing, of a series of pulleys therein, cords arranged in pairs and adapted to pass over said pulleys, ahanger supported by each pair of cords, a stop carried by each cord, a counterweight carried in the fall loop of each cord, a trip device operating automatically to engage the stops on the cords when the latter have been drawn a predetermined distance, and manually operable means for disengaging the stops from the trip device whereby the counterweights become operative to return the cords to initial position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WVILLIAM FRANKLIN.

Witnesses:

M. J. GANDRIGK, W. J. DAVIS. 

